Worsening Burnout and Job Satisfaction Leads to Reduced Working Hours

HealthDay News — Full-time physicians reporting worsening burnout or decreased job satisfaction are more likely to reduce their work hours, according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

The researchers used administrative/payroll records to assess the work status of faculty physicians working for Mayo Clinic from Oct. 1, 2008, to Oct. 1, 2014.

Based on a survey of 1856 physicians, full-time physicians who report worsening burnout or show decreasing job satisfaction are more likely to reduce their working hours. For each 1-point increase on a 7-point emotional exhaustion scale the likelihood of reducing full-time employment over the next 24 months was increased by 43%. Each 1-point decrease in the 5-point satisfaction score correlated with a 34% increased likelihood of reducing work hours.

“Among physicians in a large health care organization, burnout and declining satisfaction were strongly associated with actual reductions in professional work effort over the following 24 months,” the authors write.